that brings me to robert kennedy and the influence he had on my life. 21-year-old college student when bobby kennedy ran for president, and it was a remarkable campaign, unlike any i've seen before or after. it was a campaign that after. it was a campaign that truly focused on equity and opportunity, a campaign about unrepresented farmworkers in california, i campaign about poverty and hunger and children starving to death in the mississippi delta and on the pine ridge reservation can i campaign that asked difficult and disturbing questions about gdp that measured wealth but not well-being by questions about how we can allow this to exist these contradictions, and it asked questions about who we were and how we treat one another as americans and fellow human beings. a very short campaign, lasting 8282 days from when he announced and so when he was assassinated on june 6 which interestingly enough was the 21st anniversary of d-day. i was inspired by that campaign because of his sincerity, his passion his courage to speak from the heart and say things that needed to be said and for the m

robert kennedy tended to save big -- to say other things in private. he was cautiously open to the initiative with cuba. the president is on tape saying let's explore how we could do this safely. the safety steps were left not just send somebody off without knowing what we are going to talk about. let's get an agenda sent up, have a preliminary meeting in new york, and see how we go from there. atwood takes those instructions and a telephone call on the 19th of november. they need to know what the cubans want to talk about. there are alternatives. the amazing irony and sadness for this history is at the moment he is assassinated castro's agenda is being flown a to new york, to document -- documents i have not been able to recover yet. it is one of those pivotal pieces of evidence we need to see what the cubans were ready to talk about. there is no doubt that the assassination of the president stop a series of efforts on both sides to move toward some type of official face-to-face meeting to discuss their differences. >> peter, you mentioned george bund

initially, robert kennedy, john douglas was hip representative we met, john douglas and i with bayard rustin. bobby kennedy did not want to march to take place. vance did not want to march to take place. the kennedys saw this as a political issue. bobby kennedy was really tough on this. we came back from that meeting and said, this march is going to happen. at that point, there was terrible concern about the march. we had military people in the crowd. we closed all the liquor stores. we literally called hotels -- they didn't want anybody to stay overnight. come and go. we couldn't take the chance. we asked hotels to impose outrageous prices for their rooms. i got in an argument with the cardinal in washington because the catholic church was providing cots. it really gave you a sense of that. i watched the march with vance in the army war room. we had people on top of the lincoln memorial. it was all really scared about violence. something nobody really wanted. if only king wouldn't do this. if only -- we even had -- jon lewis had a stinging speech attacking kennedy. we did everything

in is an ideal address, he talked about how robert f. kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign inspired him to public service. this is 20 minutes. >> well, thank you very much. there are a lot of people like to recognize and deserve recognition. i just want to briefly recognize my two sisters who have come here today, and, of course my son, logan. i also want to thank the general fund organ national guard and rich evans superintendent of the state police and all our first responders for everything they do to keep us safe. i expect the love you have a game on your mind tonight. some of you probably wish you a ticket. i certainly i had, but it is amazing how this game is managed to unite the state. i saw a guy on friday in full-blown front on beaver regalia, black sneakers, orange pants, black shirt, orange jacket black cat with an orange beaver on the cap and a great big go ducks yellow sticker on his chest. [laughter] [applause] i'm always amazed at these athletic events and are sure you with all these people packed acting together, republicans and de

but as robert kennedy said, if our times seem difficult and perplexing, so to are the challenges andso to are the challenges built with filled with opportunity. i for one, believe as i was up in san francisco's ability to meet those challenges. san francisco is for america what america has always been for the world. a place of hope. for centuries, the dreamers of the pioneers, the wanderers, and the misfits have had breast in search of fortune in search of freedom in search and west because there you will be accepted for who you are. that's what it means to be a san franciscan. it is the pride of scene 36 states legalize gay marriage when only a decade ago we were alone in the woods. in the world. it's building the bridge over the water no one thought we could cross and doing it again your later. it's winning three world series in five years. it's trusting the girl from public housing with the board presidency. it is the belief that something is only impossible if san francisco has not done it first. our city is a beacon that shines -- the light that shines the way. from the chambers

not well understood is the archvillain in reagan's life robert kennedy. he became reagan's supreme nemesis for unusual reasons. in 1961 upon becoming his brothers attorney general bobby kennedy pursued corruption with a vengeance. as a sidebar he also targeted political opponents. in february of 62 kennedy hauled reagan before a grand jury. two weeks later after that the justice department subpoenaed reagan's tax returns. the matter never resulted in an indictment that reagan lost his job as host of the general electric theater. reagan's kids got that news over lunch on sunday. i just lost my job the future president told his son michael. the kennedys threatened general electric. his daughter maureen confirmed that conversation in her memoirs saying quote bobby kennedy had a hand in this cancellation. now this may not be accurate. another point the general electric was losing ratings but in reagan's mind bobby kennedy caused the cancellation of the general electric theater in the loss of ronald reagan's job. peace out retribution during a telstar debate w

i found in robert kennedy a unique human being who almost alone among all politicians i have ever met almost along every human being i have met was a person who continued to learn and educate himself as he grew older. most of us bank our intellectual capital may be in our mid-20's and we try to live off it for the rest of our lives, but he had none of that. he was constantly interested in new things. who is writing good stuff now about this or that, about crime or poverty or race or even mundane things like housing or welfare. he wanted to know. sometimes you would look up in the office one day and see some professor you were talking about a few days before because he called him and said he heard he was writing good stuff and wanted to talk. >> we begin a remembrance of joseph brodsky with brodsky reading his poem at the 92nd street y in new york in 1988. >> something like a field in hungary but without its innocence. >> you have something that he wrote that i would like you to read us. would you please? >> it is called "tornfallet" which is a place in sweden. there is a meadow in swe

about two weeks before the murder of -- >> robert kennedy -- >> and los angeles.was a very intense time. eldridge was very public about not going back to prison. he said it publicly and said it in speeches. he said, i'm not going to go back. he was supposed to turn himself in in november 1968, certain date, and he wasn't there. he did not turn himself in. what he exited, i found a minute years later, he went to montrÉal. he got on a boat and went to havana. he was disguised as a cuban soldier. while in havana, a group of other hijackers and different people there created a cluster of black panthers that did not exactly sit well with the cuban authorities. so at one point, eldridge was required to be there -- no publicity whatsoever. a new story comes out. i was on my way to a jury a to get a plane to go to cuba to join him. the new story says, eldridge cleaver is hiding in cuba. unlike ok this is a problem. because of the revelation he was there -- they said, we're going to send you to algeria to take the heat off and you can be with your wife. >> so you did join

i found in robert kennedy a unique human being who almost certainly alone among all politicians i have met and almost alone among all human beings i've met a person who continued to learn and educate himself as he grew older. most of us most of us bank our intellectual capitol maybe in our mid 20s and then we try to live off of it for the rest of our lives. but he had none of that he was constantly interested in new things. who is writing good stuff now about this or that about crime or poverty or race or even mundane things like housing or welfare or whatever it was. he wanted to know, and then he read. and sometimes you know you would look up in the office one day and see some professor that you would talk to him about a few days before because we call the guy up and say hey, i hear you're weig good stuff come in and let's talk. >> rose: we began a remembrance of joseph brodsky with him reading his poetry at the 92nd street y in new york in 1988. >>> something like a-- in hungary but without its innocence. >> you have something that he wrote that i would like for to you read us. woul

. >> i think i was general counsel of the army at the time of the '63 march and initially robert kennedy, who john douglas was his representative and cy vance, secretary of the army we met -- john douglas and i met with two others and bobby kennedy did not want the march to take place vance did not want the march to take place. the kennedys saw this as a political issue. there was no -- i mean, bobby kennedy was really tough on this, but we came back from that meeting and said this march is going to happen. and at that point there was terrible concern about the march. just to give you a sense we had military people and muftee and the crowd, we closed all the liquor stores in washington. we literally called hotels to tell them you need to cancel events. we don't want anybody to stay overnight. come and go, in and out. we can't take the chance. we asked the hotels to impose outrageous prices for their rooms. i got in an argument with the cardinal in washington because the catholic church was providing cots. we didn't want any cots in the gyms. [laughter]. it really gave you a sense that i

kennedy robert f. kennedy, edward kennedy president, presidential candidates, lifelong senators from a daycare like. i wonder one thing when we were younger. you were there and a mother and dad told us to take rosemary a long. it took a deep breath and as i looked over at one point and i saw rosemary sees it all by herself over on the pool all alone. i looked over and i saw jack. he excused himself and got up and walk away and he sat down next to rosie, he put his feet in the pool and sat there alone together. he said i will never forget that. can somebody give me some desert or something like that. it was at a family dinner. he didn't say more. but wherever that took place one of those two people sitting alone with their legs in the pool 20 something years later with the president of the united states, the most powerful man arguably on earth and one would be hidden. one would almost be one of the most powerless people on earth. but when those brothers of rosemary kennedy got their chance, but they said

environmental loyal robert f. kennedy, jr. and celebrated conductor. but first a woman well known for her work with chimpanzees. >> what's the most interesting thing that oven learned about chimpanzees over the years? >> how like us they are, or how like them we are. and i think the most shocking, but very fascinating thing is when i realized that like us they have a dark side. and that made them sadly seem more like us than i had thought before. but they are capable of violence, brutality and, a kind of primitive war. >> can you take me back to the beginning. you were secretary an those pollses lewis leaky, that's where your got your start right? >> that's where it started. >> how did that happen? >> when i was a tiny little girl i wanted to study animals in africa because i fell in love with tarzan, and sill iman fell in lover with the wrong jane and i was jealous with her, but i decided i want to go to africa and write books about them and everybody laughed except my amazing mother who said if you want something you have to work hard and take advant

he was the man who robert kennedy and others spoke to to try to create this deal to trade the jupiter missiles in turkey for the missiles in cuba. his book is fascinated, called "the man behind the rosenbergs." the title gives away everything. there's not a lot of secrecy behind what the book is about. really what this book does it came out end of the cold war and really ended a lot of the debate about julius rosenburg. we'll talk more about rosenburg in a second but there was always this left liberal debate was rosenburg scapegoated because he was jewish or was a liberal. this book ended a lot of that debate. then you've got lower levels. harry gold. gold actually was a chemist by trade so he knew what he was looking for. he was somebody that made a lot of sense to run atomic spies. he was born to russian-jewish immigrants. never really gave up this russian side to him. interestingly enough, he was a very successful chemist but he lost his job in the great depression. this is something that helped radicalize him. we talk about ideology and any time i talk to people who are 407440 and

even in the death of the cold war attorney general robert kennedy who was one of fidel castro's mostvent opponents sought to resend the travel ban. noting that the band was inconsistent with traditional american liberty. i know that many of our colleagues have concerns about the shift in policy and i hope you can have a robust and substandard debate. congress must avoid obstructive actions by blocking the confirmation of an ambassador to cuba where the funding for diplomatic activities. instead congress should conduct reasonable oversight to ensure that her policies that are enhancing our economic interests and expanded commerce and travel and their political interest in cultivating new political freedoms in the country of cuba. 50 years of the embargo and travel ban have not secured adventures. it's trying a different approach. i thank all of you for being here today. i'm sure you are glad that this is your last week from someone on the hill. i'm looking forward to the changes that are starting to take place. i especially look forward to working with senator moran who just recently

the triborough bridge has been the robert f kennedy bridge for 20 years. we still call it the triborough bridge. when you pass a law, it takes 20 years before even though it is illegal to do certain things, it takes 20 years or 30 years for people to get acclimated to things. i got bussed to school. i was called nigger all the time by students, teachers, janitors. they were -- there were protests in oakland, new york, go home darkie, whatever my first day of school. just like in new york. like you saw everyplace else. in 1973. i know it. i really really know it. ♪ >> the moments that have been transformative, the martin lawrence thing. the second thing, when you went to broadway. that was a transformative moment. >> it really was. that was the most fun i have had in show business. >> why? >> it was fun being the rookie. i literally did not know anything. i had never done a play before. i did not do a play in high school. so just that experience and it is not just doing a play. doing an original play. when you do a revival it is the same lines. you can almo

the robert f kennedy has been called that for 20 years. we still call it by its old name.aw, it takes a while before, even though it is illegal, it takes 20 years or 30 years to people really get acclimated. i got bused to school. i got called nigger. they would protest. my first day of school, just in new york. in 1973. i know it. i have really known it. ♪ >> the moments that have been transformative, one of the martin lawrence thing. the others when you went to broadway. that was transformative. >> it really was. that was the most fun i have ever had in show business. >> why? >> it was fun being the rookie. i literally did not know anything. i had never done a play before. i didn't do a play in high school. just that experience -- not just doing a play. doing an original play. you could almost rehearse for a revival in your house. but an original, it changes all the time. to work with a play from the bottom up. form a character. work with great actors. elizabeth rodriguez. yeah, it was just -- >> did you learn things you could add to the total sort of entertainer you are

and i asked later about that, i said attorney general robert kennedy, what was the reaction? >>he said, i stayed away from family gatherings. [laughter] i have seen him many, many times. the house republicans have hired you to suit the administration in another area. -- sue the administration. taxpayers will pay your fee. they are not paying huge million dollars, are they? >> no, no one has offered me $3 million. >> what is the hourly rate you charge? >> it is set by contract, but i believe it is 500. but i want to correct, i am not working for the house republicans, but the house of representatives. >> do you get paid for your testimony here today? >> no, of course not. >> the question i have first was the one i appreciate the answer the most. i hope we can move on. many of you have questions about past operations of the department of justice. i have some disagreements with that, but i think we are talking about the remaining time of this administration. frankly, as one american, and is a former prosecutor, and as the longest-serving member of the senate one who is voted on

also the resident where he was the fact channel for the tube an missile risz and the man who robert kennedyand others spoke to to portray the jupiter missiles in turkey for cube a. his book is fascinating. called the man behind the rosenburgs. they helped resolve the cuban missile crisis. the title gives away everything. not a lot of secrecy behind the book. what this book does is came out in the war and ended a lot of debate. was he scapegoated because he was liberal leer or jewish? this ended a lot of that debate. you have lower levels. harry gold. gold was a chemist by trade. he was somebody that he was born to russian jewish immigrants. he never gave up the russian side. he was a very successful chemist and lost his job in the great depression. this helped radicalize him. any time i talk to people 40 and below, they don't understand how people can turn against their country. and become a communist. communism for anyone that age was a dying institution that obviously doesn't work. for those who grew up in the 1930s or came of age during this time period and saw the great depression and t

>> that i don't think is fair because it was robert kennedy who signed the ord erer allowing the fbiwire running into my house that i just discovered about two years ago. and it's probably been there since i moved into that house in 1966. we knew we were bugged but that was before lbj. and the present fbi director keeps that letter on his desk and he makes the people read it and says that that was one of the lowest positions in the history of the fbi. now, even as i say that one of the things that i like about selma and one of the things that the movie shows, if we would look at it is this was the one time that everybody got everything right. snick and sclc disagreed, but i john lewis' help we got it right, we got it together. johnson actually did a marvelous job, and nick cotts' book on lbj and martin luther king describe the detailed ways in which lyndon johnson used his mastery of the political process to deliver this bill. we could not have had this bill without lyndon baines johnson, but lyndon baines johnson could not have passed it without martin luther king without the death

he was the man who robert kennedy and others spoke to to try to create this deal to trade the jupiter missiles in turkey for the missiles in cuba. his book is fascinated, called "the man behind the rosenbergs." the title gives away everything. there's not a lot of secrecy behind what the book is about. really what this book does it came out end of the cold war and really ended a lot of the debate about julius rosenburg. we'll talk more about rosenburg in a second but there was always this left liberal debate was rosenburg scapegoated because he was jewish or was a liberal. this book ended a lot of that debate. then you've got lower levels. harry gold. gold actually was a chemist by trade so he knew what he was looking for. he was somebody that made a lot of sense to run atomic spies. he was born to russian-jewish immigrants. never really gave up this russian side to him. interestingly enough, he was a very successful chemist but he lost his job in the great depression. this is something that helped radicalize him. we talk about ideology and any to people who are 407440 and below, they

even in the depths of the cold war, attorney general robert kennedy, one of castro's most fervent opponents, soft to rescind the travel ban noting that the band was "inconsistent with traditional american liberties." i know many of our colleagues have concerns about the shift in policy, and i hope we can have a robust and substantive debate. but congress must avoid obstructive actions like blocking the confirmation of ambassador to cuba or the funding for diplomatic activities. instead, congress should conduct reasonable oversight to ensure that our policies are enhancing our economic interests in expanded commerce and travel and cultivating new political freedoms in the country of cuba. 50 years of the embargo and travel that have not secured the cuban interest. it is time to try a different approach. i thank you all for being here today. i'm sure you are glad this is your last speech from someone on the hill. i look forward to the good changes that are starting to take place. i especially look forward to working with senator moran who got on the commerce committee. i have been on that com

kennedy martin luther king... >> my thanks to all of you, and now it's on to chicago, and let's win this. >> narrator: and robert f. kennedy. many american cities erupted into armed conflict. in response, congress passed the first comprehensive gun control law in decades. >> effective crime control remains, in my judgment, effective gun control. >> narrator: those were fighting words for some in the nra. the 1968 gun control bill banned mail order sales and restricted some purchases. >> nra people said, "wait a minute, we've got other things to worry about than teaching guys how to shoot or how to hunt and so forth, or collect guns." and that's when, that was the transformative period. >> narrator: it formally happened in 1977 at the nra convention in cincinnati. as they got down to business there was a showdown: hunters and sportsmen versus gun rights activists. >> the national rifle association convention in cincinnati went into overtime last night, a stormy all-night session. when it was over, some dissident members had taken control of the 400,000-member organization. what it means is even stricter support f

kennedy talks about her career as a filmmaker. she is the daughter of robert kennedy and ethel kennedy. >> rory kennedy, can you remember when you first were even aware that there was a vietnam war? >> well, i was 7 when the events took place that we document in the film of the last days of the war, which was 1975. you know, there is not a moment where i remember vietnam, but i feel like it was kind of in the ether of my childhood. it was in my consciousness. i have always felt this is a kind of seminal event in our nation's history, and i was really happy to have the opportunity to revisit vietnam and through this particular story of the final days of the war. >> did you go there at all? >> i never went to vietnam. my intention was to go there. you know, the story that i wanted to tell, from the vietnamese perspective, is about the vietnamese who were left behind and what happened to them. but we were told that, and i did extensive research, that nobody in vietnam would talk to us about this time in history particularly who had been imprisoned or tortured or

and when i asked him later about that, i said, attorney general robert kennedy, what was the reaction? i stayed away from family gatherings a little while. and president turley, i've seen you many, many times. the house republicans have hired you to sue the administration in another area and taxpayers will pay your fee . this could cost as much as $3 million. they're not paying you $3 million, are they? >> i'm certainly open to that, senator leahy, but, no, no one's offered me $3 million. >> what is the hourly rate you do charge? >> i think it's -- the hourly rate's set by the contract, not by me, it's top at $500. i seem to recall that. i want to correct something. i'm actually working not for the house republicans but for the house of representatives. they voted to approve the -- >> republican vote. partisan vote, you know. not to put two -- do you get paid for your testimony here today? >> oh, no, of course not. >> thank you. i thought it had -- actually, the question i asked first was probably the one that i appreciated the answer the most when no hands went up and i hope we can m

i refer to my days as a young law student, being recruited by the then attorney general robert kennedy. but i was too home sick for vrt so -- vermont so i didn't stay. i'm not going to have further request questions because i'm satisfied -- questions because i'm satisfied with what you said so far. you'll have my vote and my strong support. and i hope in the remaining part of this administration you'll be there to enforce the laws of the united states. >> thank you mr. chairman. i have nothing further to say. i'll put the rest of my statement in the record. >> thank you senator. >> thank you senator. i apologize, i should have taken care of this question. but my final question, ms. lynch, is really around the philosophy that you may bring to the department of justice. in december, 2014, the government accountability office issued a report that was titled the department of justice can strengthen procedures for disciplining its attorneys. there were a couple of examples going back to even i think the handling of new orleans police officers related to the katrina -- hurricane katrina wher

and when i asked him later about that, i said, attorney general robert kennedy, what was the reaction? i stayed away from family gatherings a little while. and president turley, i've seen you many, many times. the house republicans have hired you to sue the administration in another area and taxpayers will pay your fee . this could cost as much as $3 million. they're not paying you $3 million, are they? >> i'm certainly open to that, senator leahy, but, no, no one's offered me $3 million. >> what is the hourly rate you do charge? >> i think it's -- the hourly rate's set by the contract, not by me, it's top at $500. i seem to recall that. i want to correct something. i'm actually working not for the house republicans but for the house of representatives. they voted to approve the -- >> republican vote. partisan vote, you know. not to put two -- do you get paid for your testimony here today? >> oh, no, of course not. >> thank you. i thought it had -- actually, the question i asked first was probably the one that i appreciated the answer the most when no hands went up and i hope we can m

that attorney general was robert kennedy. he later prosecuted a man who was critical to his brother getting elected president. i contrast that to another attorney general in the last administration who testified here that, he's a member of the president's staff, so therefore he takes order frts white house. i kind of exploded on that. i said, it's not secretary of justice, it's the attorney general of the united states not for the republicans, not for the democrats, but the united states. i think from what you told us, you'd be that kind of an independent attorney general. i heard somebody criticize this morning on the prosecution, ed stevens. i feel he should not have been prosecuted. it was neglected to mention that was during the last administration and it was attorney general holder who got the conviction obtained in the last administration. i assume from things you said before, we are concerned in vermont about the increase in heroin, that you will continue to work with communities as the justice department does now, i m